Soaring Raven
by Donut-Sama
Summary: The Karasuno High Volleyball Club has a new recruit in the form of Hinata Shouyo, 15, and female.
1. A Little Bird

**A/N** : Hello people! I thought I would write a fem!Hinata fanfic for a change. Those are practically non-existent haha.

I hope you enjoy this fic!

* * *

 **H** inata Shouyo did not like to be wrong.

But when her fears were confirmed this instant, right in front of everybody, she more than wished her thoughts on her countless sleepless nights were proven wrong.

"What do you mean by 'I cannot join?'"

"It means what it means. You. _Cannot_. Join. The. Team"

Hinata stared wordlessly, mouth slightly opened in shock. Truthfully, a slight part of her saw it coming but she refused to believe it. Believing it would only condemn her dream. She was an optimistic person after all.

However, when the dean turned his back on her after blinking lazily her way and waiting for a few minutes for a response from her - a response she failed to give due to her being abashed - Hinata saw her hopes being broken like glass and she was almost tempted to reconsider dubbing herself an optimist. Almost.

"Wait!" The young girl reached out and grabbed the fat, retreating dean by the hem of his suit.

"Wait," she repeated, softer this time, "you cannot do this! Please! This is my dream! It is the sole reason I enrolled in Karasuno High School. _Please_!" - _and also because I did not get good enough grades to enroll in powerhouse schools_ \- she quietly added in her head but refrained from telling that to the dean. It would only pulverise her chances in the team.

The fat man breathed out through his nose and turned to face the ginger haired girl once more. He gave her a cursory once over then quirked a thick eyebrow. "I can and I will do this. I have every right here. Look," the black haired man then sighed in exasperation, shaking his head a little. Here he was, being bothered by a first year on the first day of school to boost. His job demanded too much for what he was paid for. "Hinata-kun, was it? This is a boys' team. The boys' volleyball team. Why are you asking to join the boys' team when Karasuno has a girls' team?" he enunciated slowly to make his point.

To his utter surprise, the small first year only brightened at his question. He watched, taken aback, as her large honey coloured eyes became even larger in excitement and the corners of her mouth turn up into a big toothy grin.

"Because I want to be the next Little Giant! And the Little Giant was in the boys team" she replied enthuastically, bouncing on the spot to accentuate her excitement. Her loud voice drew the attention of the other students in the volleyball gym court they were currently in and the dean casted a quick glace to all the curious eyes watching them now. Some even stopped what they were doing to whisper among themselves.

"Little Giant you said?" at the enthusiastic nod he received, he sighed once more. Yes, he was definitely not being paid enough. He drew in a long breath.

"CAPTAIN!" his loud booming voice made the small ginger head before him jump and cringe at the same time. He internally snickered vindictively. Served her right.

He glanced around till he found a teenage boy running towards them from the other side of the gym. He wore the white shirt and black P.E shorts mandatory for training.

"You called for me, sir?" the tall, dark haired teen asked curiously and quickly glanced at Hinata before fixing his gaze on the dean in front of him.

"Yes, umm..."

"Sawamura Daichi, sir." the captain supplied dutifully.

"Yes, Sawamura-san. This is Hinata Shouyo," at this, the middle aged man gestured to the girl lazily, "and she wants to join your team -," Daichi blinked at the girl questioningly, flabbergasted, "- so take _Little Miss Wannabe Giant_ here," the dean paused then placed his hand on the upper back of Hinata and roughly pushed her forward towards Daichi, "and explain to her that she entered the wrong gym. Please show her the girls' court and, if you have to, I have the rules and regulations booklet in my office to try convince her."

After delivering his speech, the middle aged man turned and left the gym, leaving a puzzled Daichi and a slightly anxious Hinata behind.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, one gawking at the door of the gym helplessly and the other nervously biting her bottom lip and wriggling her hands together. They only snapped back to reality when they heard several footfalls approaching them.

Daichi looked behind him to see and silver haired teenager and another teen with hair shaved so short he was almost bald.

"Daichi, what was that about?" the newcomer silver haired player asked his captain while looking at the short girl beside said captain and smiling gently at her to not scare her more than she apparently was.

The young captain cleared his throat to inconspicuously buy time to collect his thoughts. He then looked at Hinata on his left who was now rocking back and forth on her heels, waiting. He studied her. She was wearing the girls' school uniform, was about 5'2 feet tall with bright orange hair, large honey coloured eyes, small chiselled face, cute button nose and it was obvious she had a slim frame even with the thick school pullover she was practically drowning in. All in all, she didn't look like a volleyball player even for girls' standards. Heck, she barely reached his shoulders!

"I am Hinata Shouyo! And I want to be in your volleyball team!" the small ginger head quipped cheerfully while raising an arm up in salutations. Daichi almost face palmed.

"Yes, what she said." He looked pleadingly at the silver haired boy, clearly at a loss of what to say next. Fortunately, his friend was swift to understand the situation.

The teen smiled pleasantly to Hinata and drew a hand to his chest to introduce. "I am Sugawara Koushi. I play as setter and I am in my third year here. This," he paused and placed a hand on the shaved haired teenager beside him, "is Tanaka Ryuunosuke, second year and a wing spiker." He smiled wider at her attentive face. "And Daichi is our captain and is a wing spiker but he specialises in receives."

Hinata regarded each one of them respectively at each introductions. She knew they were studying her and she, in turn, studied them too. Sugawara-san had shiny silver hair and dark grey eyes. His heart shaped face had a small mole on his left cheekbone. It fitted him. He was also very tall, like the rest of them. The next one, Tanaka-san, has really short stubble as hair since, she deduced, he liked to keep shave his hair off. He had narrower dark eyes and a mischievous grin and slightly darker skin than Sugawara-san. Sawamura-san had a slightly tanned skin tone too but a slightly more muscular frame than the first two. Her first impression of them was not bad. In fact, she liked them, specially Sugawara-san.

"Hinata-chan, you do know this is a boys' team right?" Suga asked cautiously. At her adamant nod, he immediately relaxed. ' _Okay, at least she knows what she's getting herself into_ ,' he thought but kept it to himself. Tanaka peered curiously down at the redhead and tried to gauge her. "Say, how tall are you?" He asked.

"5'2 tall, senpai!" was the cheery reply. The effect was instantaneous.

"Ooooh! She called me senpai! Ahahahaha!" Tanaka laughed good naturedly while simultaneously slapping the girl on her back, careful not to hurt her but wanting to share his mirth. "I like her, Daichi! She should definitely join us!"

At that remark, Hinata visibly perked up even more. Hope was shining in her honey eyes as she regarded Daichi expectantly. The other two turned to look at him as well. The captain started to sweat a bit under the stare of his fellow school mates and he coughed up a laugh nervously. "Well I have nothing against her joining. We could do with some more members." he said finally.

Suga smiled at his captain then directed it at the ginger head. "I agree with these two. You are welcomed in the team. However, I am not sure if everyone will agree. But it is Daichi who accepts new recruits and if he allows you to join, then no one can contest the captain's decision except the coach and the dean."

An orange blur was all Daichi could see before he had to stagger backwards to keep balance. The black haired teenager chuckled and patted the girl on the head in an attempt to calm her down while she was yelling " _Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou_ " in his shirt and jumping on the spot in glee. He never saw a bigger, sunnier smile on anyone else's face before the girl pulled back to face him again.

"Welcome in the team!" the three seniors chorused happily then proceeded to ruffle her hair one by one. Suddenly, Tanaka stopped mid-hair ruffle and appeared to realise something.

"Wait a sec... Is there some kind of law against having a mixed gender team? And besides that..." his eyes travelled to the sole girl of the group then glanced at the volleyball court, seemingly to consider something. "What is it Tanaka?" Suga voiced, asking the question their captain also wanted to.

The tall wing spiker returned his gaze to the redhead and hummed, thinking. "Her height might be problematic," he replied pensively, "I mean, I am not even sure if she can jump high enough to touch the top of the net, let alone block or spike to the other side. She will have to go to the front eventually with the team rotation."

Suga nodded his head in understanding. "Yes, I thought about that too but I figured she could be a pinch server or a libero. She is shorter than Nishinoya so she could probably pull it off," he hummed, thinking, "but we will have to see her play to evaluate her future position and as for the rules…," he trailed off, looking pointedly at Daichi to continue.

The raven haired teen cleared his throat. "I will ask the dean for that booklet. We will know for sure then." Both Suga and Tanaka nodded their agreement.

As the three boys discussed, Hinata was looking back and forth between them, feeling a bit left out.

"Anou… I am not sure about the rules but I want to play! It is okay if I cannot participate in official matches but I would like to participate in unofficial ones if so! I want to be known as the Little Giant!" She gave them a big, toothy grin. "And don't worry! I may be short but I can definitely jump! I jump very, very high! The view of the other side of the court from above the net is my favourite part!" the ginger head chirped while making rash motions with her arms while explaining. "I go like _whoop_ , then the ball goes like _wham_ then I will run and jump then _baang_!" she continued and everyone sweatdropped, not fully comprehending what she was saying but getting the gist of it.

Hinata was going on and on and on with her explaining and sound effects as emphasis when Daichi suddenly clapped his hands and laughed nervously. "Hinata, umm, maybe now is the time to go join everyone else. There are newcomers too, like you, waiting other there," he gestured to the other side of gym where Hinata saw six other students, all in P.E gear, "and I was talking and explaining to them how things work around here when the dean called me."

The honey eyed girl let out a quiet " _oh_ " under her breath. Four seconds passed when, " _OH_! MY NEW TEAMATES!" and the girl ran off excitedly towards the group of boys clad in white and black.

The three seniors stood behind, amused at the girl's reaction. Then Tanaka grinned and took off after her calling for her to wait.

"Do you think she'll be fine?" Suga asked, a tinge of worry in his voice now that the jovial mood started to ebb away together with the retreating girl. He watched how she bounded over and practically pounced on an unsuspecting Ennoshita – who had his back to her while lecturing something to the other four new recruits who stood next to each other before him – and then started to vigorously shake the startled second year's hand in greeting.

Daichi shook his head and smiled sadly.

"I hope so, Suga. I hope so."

* * *

 **A/N** : There will be romance later on because I am a die-hard romantic at heart. As for the pairing, it is a secret till the later chapters but I will let you know that I have a tendency to like rare/unusual pairings.

Constructive criticism is encouraged but flames are not!

I would really love to hear what was wrong with this first chapter (or what didn't make sense) and where I can improve. I thank you all in advance!


	2. Perched On Her Nest

**A/N:** Hi all! I want to thank all of you who reviewed, followed and chose to add this fic to their favourite list!

I tried to release a speedy update as a thank you but I am not sure if I'll be able to update quickly every-time. I am so busy in real life specially now that exams are coming up. I hope you understand. I will try to update weekly or every fortnight.

Onwards with the new chapter now!

* * *

 **I** t was at around 6:55pm that Hinata returned to an empty home.

Taking off her black and pink stripped shoes at the steps of the foyer, the young girl neatly placed them on the shoe rack by the wall and she absently noted her father's slippers were next to hers, untouched.

" _Tadaima_." she breathed out, out of habit while she reached for her lime green, frog shaped slippers and slipped them on.

It was rather depressing to always expect no reply to her greeting and indeed, she received none. Despite that, she religiously announced her return each time she came home. It provided some sort of belonging. It made the empty shell of a house feel less like a place she only resided in because she needed shelter but more like a semblance of a place she grew attached to.

Holding in a sigh, Hinata straightened and walked towards her kitchen. The only way in was to go through the living room which was separated from the kitchen by an island. Hinata's family wasn't rich but they had enough to live comfortably and still have some savings - savings which were now used for her education.

The girl dropped her bag on the nearest sofa on her way to the fridge. The thing was unsurprisingly empty safe for some milk, a couple of eggs and a half full jar or jam. The ginger head made a mental note to go grocery shopping more often.

She debated for a while. She wasn't particularly hungry but she knew she had to eat dinner but the lack of ingredients made it hard to do so. She checked the cupboards and they were all either empty or had some random cans which she didn't feel like eating.

In the end, she grabbed her favourite box of cereals and poured herself a generous amount of milk and cereals in a bowl. As an afterthought, she opened the freezer and grabbed a half-eaten tub of vanilla ice-cream. Ice-cream never failed her, she grinned.

Carefully manoeuvring around the island, she walked back to the living room and plopped down in her beloved pink bean bag. She reached for the remote in front of her and switched the TV on while simultaneously eating a mouthful of her cereals.

There was nothing interesting on the TV tonight, she thought, zapping through the channels one after the other. She wasn't in the mood to watch overly dramatic soap operas or gross gory cop serials. She decided to settle on a news channels but her mind wasn't really concentrating on what the weather girl was saying on the screen.

She thought back to the earlier events of today and how after a false start with the school dean, she finally got the chance to be able to fulfil her long life dream: To be on Karasuno High Boys' Volleyball Team and become the next Little Giant!

Sawamura-san, Sugawara-san and Tanaka-san have all been very considerate of her. They had welcomed her without any protests and she was grateful for that. Her senpais have been very accommodating but she couldn't say the same for her fellow first years.

There were in total, four new recruits.

Tsukishima Kei for one, a very tall blonde with glasses and who constantly had a blank expression on his slim face, was very blunt to her. He never failed to state the obvious and say a witty comment here and there which infuriated her, specially when she was on the receiving end - like how the first thing he said to her was " _Shorties should not be playing volleyball_ " in a very flat tone.

Yamaguchi Tadashi on the other hand, who was Tsukishima's best friend - but the blonde completely ignored and disregarded that fact about their friendship, the jerk! - was a timid dark haired boy. He had freckles on his cheeks which was endearing and gave the teen a more innocent look. She connected the most to him so far when it came to the four of them.

And last but not least, there was Kageyama Tobio, King of all jerks reunited. That guy didn't have any other facial expression than a grumpy scowl on his face when he faced her. She could feel it. He was a socially awkward type of person. However, despite the constant frown plastered on his face, he didn't make any sexist comment regarding her. Sure, he was outright rude and call her names but he did not protest her presence in the club. She had a sneaking suspicion he was big softie at heart but rough concrete on the outside.

The second years were all very friendly and welcoming to her. She didn't get to talk to them much as they soon had to go off to clean and reorganise the equipment.

It was about ten mouthfuls into her tub of ice-cream that she felt her pocket vibrate. Hinata took out her phone and saw a message from Daichi.

It read: " _Training tmr. Don't be late_."

The honey eyed girl chewed hurriedly in her excitement and typed back: " _Roger dat! :DD_ "

The girl grinned. She couldn't wait to show everyone her skills tomorrow. They would be blown out of their minds for sure.

* * *

And blown out of their minds they were indeed.

Daichi didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

He knew he hadn't expected much from her but _this_?

 _This_ was unbelievable.

Hinata was fast, too fast for them to follow - even with their eyes - at first. She could run from one end of the court to the other in the blink of an eye.

But that was about it.

Daichi heaved a heavy sigh.

The small girl couldn't hit a ball properly even if her life depended on it.

Hinata was fuming. She had spent the whole afternoon running after the ball but damn it. Why couldn't she make it bounce somewhere else other than over the net to the other side - and one time at Bakayama's head, she snickered, served him right - or at the wall.

She had been practising receives. The team deemed it essential to know each team members' forte and weaknesses. She was ashamed to admit that her weaknesses' list was becoming longer and longer with each exercise. She was horrible at receives but a downright _abomination_ when it came to serves.

"Oi, dumbass! Hit it straight! My hands are here! Not at your right!" A raging dark haired male yelled heatedly at her.

At present, she could bounce the ball anywhere but back at the person in front of her.

"I'm _trying_ , Bakayama! Can't you see? Stop yelling!"

Kageyama Tobio, first year and setter did not find it funny. After throwing balls at her for an hour, he had thought she would have gotten the hang of it by now and even if she couldn't hit it with the perfect technique yet, he had hoped she would have at least, _at least_ , hit it in the correct direction. Honestly, he was about to lose it. He was a hair's width away from marching over to her and ripping her head off.

"Kageyama."

At the sound of his name, the dark blue eyed setter turned his scowl at the source of the voice. He immediately straightened and schooled his frown at the sight of their captain. Daichi smiled reassuringly his way while gesturing towards Tanaka with his hand - who was expectantly looking at them - and said, "I'll take it from here."

The tall setter couldn't be happier. He bowed deeply and lingered there for a few moments more for good measure and ran off.

Hinata chewed her bottom lip anxiously. "I'm that bad, huh?" she said dejectedly and Daichi could literally see her shoulders sag and the air around her become heavy.

He floundered for a second. How did a guy deal with an upset girl? He decided to pat her on her left shoulder. Honey coloured eyes looked up at him sadly and he could already imagine them fill with salty droplets in the coming seconds if he didn't do anything.

' _This is stressing_ ', he thought, sweating a bit now.

"Don't mind it," the captain said at last, "you told me yourself that your middle school didn't have an official volleyball club, yeah? But what I am seeing here is sheer determination and promising progress. Those last four receives were much more controlled than the others," he offered her a kind smile and he could see her eyes brighten at his praise, "you just need more practice."

Daichi inwardly clapped himself on the back and cheered for he avoided a calamity in the form of a sobbing ginger head. The sheepish but clearly happy smile she was sporting was very endearing.

Hinata, on her part, couldn't believe her ears. Her captain had just praised her!

"Thank you so much, Sawamura-san, for your patience!" she chirpped and gave him a big grin.

The dark haired teen immediately rubbed his head in embarrassment. "Please, call me Daichi. Sawamura-san makes me feel so old." he replied and grinned back.

"Hai, Daichi-san!" she nodded, making her high ponytail bob with the motion.

"And call me Suga - like everyone does." somebody said from behind her and she turned and saw the tall silver haired setter a few steps away with a volleyball tucked under his left arm.

He grinned at her. "Let's see those receives of yours."

* * *

" _Thank you! Come again!_ "

Hinata thanked the cashier and collected her big grocery bag.

It was Wednesday and the short girl decided it was time to finally do some overdue grocery shopping.

Her bag was heavy but fortunately, her house was only a fifteen minute walk away. Looking down at the items of her shopping, she couldn't help but grin at the ice-cream tub poking out of the paper bag.

Sweet, sweet ice-cream. Today, she bought almond flavour. Her favourite. She couldn't wait to get home to eat it. It was her guilty pleasure she loved to indulge in.

Thinking of her sweet treat immediately lifted her spirits up. She practically had a little spring with each step she took.

Daichi had let the club have a day off to help everyone get back to gear for the new academic year. She was thankful for the break for her forearms were sore and tender from the countless receives she had had to practice the day before and practice today would only have murdered her arms for good. The girl made a mental note to apply some ice on her arms once home.

She was a bit disappointed that she hadn't had the opportunity to show everyone her amazing jump though. That Bakayama hadn't wanted to toss to her for a spike, the jerk!

Rounding the corner of a building, Hinata adjusted the paper bag in her arms and sped up a little. It was starting to get a little chilly now that the sun was beginning to set. The ginger head freed her left arm and shrugged her sleeve up a little to glance at her watch.

 _5:11_ pm, so 4 minutes left. She might just make it for her favourite anime – _Kuroko no Basket_ \- if she ran the rest of the way home. She was always pumped up after watching an episode. She usually had to watch it online at night because she was always taken up with school and club activities at the time it airs but today was the perfect opportunity to watch it live! She was particularly excited to know the highly awaited outcome of the match _Tōō_ vs _Seirin_ for the Winter Cup!

Long, wavy orange hair fluttered in the wind as the young girl sped through the streets towards her home. Truthfully, she loved it when her hair flew in the wind like that. It was one of the reasons why she liked to let it down when she wasn't playing volleyball. Her fringe was brushed to the right side of her forehead and kept it in place with a cute, red hairclip.

She was several streets away from her own when Hinata suddenly saw something, or rather, someone out the corner of her eye and stopped.

"Mayuri-san?" Hinata asked, cocking her head to the side curiously. There on her right, on the other side of the street, stood an old woman dressed in a simple, red one-piece, leaning against an electric pole and seemingly struggling with something.

Mayuri-san was an old lady who lived a few streets away from Hinata's own house. As they were practically neighbours, they often crossed each other on the streets or at the local grocery shop. From their frequent meeting, Hinata and the older woman quickly formed a friendly relationship.

From her position, the young girl could only see the old lady's profile but she recognised her right away. She would recognise her stunning blonde hair anywhere. The woman was undeniably one of the most beautiful women Hinata had ever seen. She was tall and despite being around 75, Mayuri-san only had a few strands of grey hair and the updo she usually sported complimented her almost wrinkled-free face very well. Time had been very generous to Mayuri-san and the ginger head wondered if Time would be to her too.

"Mayuri-san!" Hinata called out louder. This time, the old lady seemed to have heard her for she gave a startled start and quickly turned her head to look at the girl. Her caramel brown eyes lit up at the sight of Hinata.

"Oh, Shou-chan!" she called in turn then frowned and turned back to what she was struggling with.

The orange haired girl quickly crossed the street to meet the elder. As she got closer, her ears picked up a faint ringtone and she realised Mayuri-san was trying to reach her phone from her handbag. Hinata quickly reached over and took the paper bag the woman was trying to balance in one arm.

With a quiet thank you, the blonde dug into her bag with both hands and cheered when she finally grabbed a hold of the small piece of technology. The ringtone got louder once the phone was freed and Hinata could just make out a faint picture of a baby on the screen before the device went black and the ringtone stopped altogether.

"Oh no." the old lady breathed unconsciously when she saw she missed the call. She then pouted a little in disappointment but didn't call back. She, instead, slipped her phone back in her bag then zipped it shut.

"Thank you, Shou-chan. Don't worry, I'll call Ruru-chan back when I get home." She smiled gratefully and tried to reach for her groceries but the young girl quickly stepped back.

"No, it's okay, Mayuri-san, I'll handle it for you." She chirped and smiled broadly at the lady. The latter smiled back and began walking again.

"You are such a kind girl, Shou-chan. Thank you again." the blonde said and Hinata giggled.

"No problem! It's always a pleasure to help you!" the ginger head replied with a smile then cocked her head to the left. "By the way, was that picture Ruru-chan?" she asked inquisitively.

"Ah, yes!" Mayuri-san paused, gazing at her young friend pensively, "I have never showed you Ruru-chan before, no?" the elder mused, tapping her right index finger to the chin contemplatively. "Oh my, where has my head gone? All those times I talked to you about my grandson, I never showed you his photo. Here –" the blonde reached into her bag again to fish her phone and held it up for the girl beside her to see, "– is Ruru-chan," she giggled.

Hinata gazed at the screen and saw the same picture as earlier. It was a toddler, around 3 years old, sitting on a carpeted floor and wearing a bright orange and brown stripped tiger suit and holding up a dark blue dolphin plushie. The hood had little orange ears on top and was covering the little boy's chocolate brown locks. The toddler was laughing happily at the objective and his eyes were squeezed shut in his glee. Mayuri-san's grandson was absolutely adorable and Hinata cooed in admiration.

"He's so cute, Mayuri-san! But," Hinata blinked in confusion, "I thought Ruru-chan was older since you sometimes tell me about him in school." She finished, perplexed.

"Oh yes, this is an old photo. He is about your age now. I am sorry, all the recent pictures are at my home in my photo album. Maybe you could come over some time to look at them." Mayuri-san suggested with a smile. The short girl grinned back and nodded in agreement of the offer.

They walked in comfortable silence afterwards and a few minutes later, they arrived at the old lady's house. It was cosy-looking house with two floors, ground floor included, with two rooms on the upper floor, with a balcony each, and facing the street. Mayuri's garden was what drew her immediate attention. All her flowers were in bloom in this time of spring. It was a magnificent sight. Her yard was filled with all the colours of the rainbow.

"Your flowers are so beautiful, Mayuri-san!" the girl exclaimed and jumped closer to take a better look. Her yard also smelled fresh and wonderful thanks to all the scented flowers lining the house's walls and also the footpath.

"Haha, it's all thanks to Ruru-chan! He has quite the green fingers." She smiled approvingly, then she seemed to remember something and turned back to the girl.

"Were you able to join the volleyball club, Shou-chan?" she asked while taking her groceries from the honey eyed girl.

Hinata instantly perked up at the question. "Yes! But it was soooo stressing! The dean was being mean at me and didn't want to let me join," she pouted at the memory, "but fortunately I met the captain of the team and a few other players and they let me in!" she quickly added, jumping up and down in her excitement.

The old lady smiled, pleased. "That's good, Shou-chan, I am so happy for you." she said, opening the front gate and holding it open for the girl. "Would you like to get in for a moment so we could talk more comfortably?" the lady offered kindly.

The ginger head smiled sheepishly and scratched her head in embarrassment. "I can't right now, Mayuri-san," she replied apologetically, "I have tons of homework waiting for me, dinner to cook and I also have some overdue chores to do."

The blonde looked sad but didn't protest. "Your father is not back yet?" she asked. The girl immediately looked away and shook her head no. The old woman pursed her lips in thought.

"Shou-chan," Mayuri-san called, making Hinata turn to look at her, "Would you be so kind as to keep this old woman company this weekend? I would very much be delighted to have you stay over," she smiled, then, when she saw the girl frown in hesitation, added with a wink, "aaaaand, I have a sneaky suspicion there will be the delicious apple pie you love so much when you come."

Hinata visibly cheered up at the mention of Mayuri-san's infamous apple pie. It was all the convincing she needed.

"Okay! I'll make sure to bring something over too!" the short girl replied merrily, making the old woman in front of her laugh. "Just bring the ingredients over so we can cook together instead." The old lady smiled and waved goodbye to her young neighbour. "See you on Saturday then, Shou-chan." Waving once more, the blonde watched as Hinata nodded and waved back as she ran up the hill towards her own house.

* * *

Later that night, when Hinata got out of the shower and got dressed in her pyjamas for the night, her phone suddenly lit up and buzzed, signalling a new message.

The girl walked toward her desk and grabbed her phone with one hand while rubbing her hair dry with a towel with the other.

It was a message from Daichi.

" _Come early tmr. Have things to discuss with Takeda-sensei. P.S: Today's ep was awesome!_ "

Honey coloured eyes blinked.

' _Today's episode?_ ' she thought, puzzled.

Her neighbour's tabby cat suddenly jumped on her windowsill, distracting her. She stared at it for a second and it stared back.

Two seconds passed.

Then three.

Then seven.

.

.

.

The tabby cat meowed at her then swiftly jumped off the windowsill to hide in the tree next to her window.

.

.

Then, realisation finally dawned on her.

.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH! I COMPLETELY FORGOT TO WATCH _KUROKO NO BASKET_!"

* * *

 **A/N:** I wanted to work a bit on Hinata's background before proceeding further with the story.

Please leave a review to let me know what to improve and also, to let me know your thoughts. :)

See you next chapter!


	3. Dawn

.

 **Soaring Raven**

 **Chapter 3: Dawn**

* * *

Tsukishima Kei was a man who usually kept to himself.

However, the scene unfolding before him made him want to laugh his head off to the next era.

"Hinata! Higher!"

The said girl picked herself up hastily and immediately dove to the floor again in an attempt to catch the ball thrown to her furthest right.

"Idiot! You need to dive higher or else you will not be able to reach far enough!" Kageyama raged at the ginger head. He watched mercilessly as the said girl stood up again and crouched in preparation of another dive.

The blonde bit his lip and internally snickered as he continued to watch the training session. He sat down on the bench he initially approached to take a drink to enjoy the drama better. Oh, how he wished he had some popcorn.

"I'm trying! Just give me time to get up first before throwing another!" she yelled back, glaring heatedly at the black haired setter while running the back of her hand over her sweat-covered brow. "Besides, I want to hit spikes! I got enough of diving saves for today."

"And I told you I refuse to toss to you!" He bit back and took a step forward towards the girl who was now also approaching him like a predator trying to intimidate its prey. Unfortunately for her, he wasn't the type to back down first. If anything, he was going to show her his point of view.

"But why! Give me a valid reason why!" she fumed, clenching her fists tightly by her side. If only she could punch this bastard without any repercussions afterwards.

Kageyama growled. What horrible thing did he do to deserve having to put up with her stupidity? "Because I don't want to waste my time tossing to you only to have you jump and kiss the net instead!" he roared, flinging his left arm out towards the net for emphasis.

"You haven't even seen me jump!"

At this point, they were head-butting each other. Hinata's face was contorted in an angry grimace matching the furious scowl Kageyama sported. Sparks could be sensed going between them as they tried to glare the other into submission but none was willing to back down from the challenge.

Tsukishima was having a hard time breathing. He wheezed in an attempt to keep his laugher in. He wondered if this will end like one of her mother's beloved soap-operas where the two protagonists initially tried to kill each other but ended up making out and taking their fight in a bedroom. If so, it would honestly be the final straw to finally make him crack up.

His humour was unfortunately interupted when he felt a sudden ominous aura appear right behind the arguing pair and the freezing of the two persons in front of him indicated he wasn't the only one to notice it.

Both an orange and a black head turned gingerly to face the smiling face of their silver haired senpai. Despite appearances, Suga was the most stern to them when it came to their little "setting differences parties" and they both knew how frightening the older setter could be if his feathers were ruffled in the wrong direction - which was exactly what they were doing at the moment.

The third year's smile turned from sweet to saccharine.

"Hina-chan. Kageyama-kun. What are you doing?"

' _Oh no_ ,' the spectacles wearing onlooker thought rather bemusedly, ' _he used suffixes_.' He almost felt bad for his fellow first years. Almost. Everyone knew Suga was dead serious when he used suffixes.

Kageyama and Hinata, on the other hand, were beginning to tremble like leaves in the wind. Suga's killing aura was crashing into them in waves, stronger and stronger by the second. Shivers were running up and down their spines at an uncontrollable rate and their survival instincts were going haywire.

Danger was imminent.

"I said," Suga's smiling face suddenly turned dark and he roughly grabbed his two underclassmen by the head, " _what are you doing_?" he repeated threateningly.

"Ack!"

"Heeeee!"

Both first years looked like they were about to wet themselves. They could practically see horns growing out from the older teen's head. Hinata idly wondered if that was how she was going to die: killed by the hands of her deceptively innocent-looking senpai.

Tsukishima then deemed it safer to quit his entertaining observation and walked away.

"Didn't I _specifically_ tell you to stop bickering like 5 year olds and act like teammates?" Suga snarled, clearly tired of his kouhais' antics. I has almost been a week now and those two couldn't talk civilly to each other more than two sentences before they were screaming their lungs out at each other. He had then taken it upon himself to try and make the two find a common ground and that was why he personally ordered Kageyama to train their sole female member till they proved they could work as a team.

"Well?" the silver haired probed, making the two in front of him shake even more in his grasp.

"W-w-we are s-sorry, Suga-san!" Kageyama managed to gasp out and Hinata tried to nod as much as she could while the setter still had her by the head.

"Y-yes! We won't d-do it again! _Pleasedon'tkillus_!" she squeaked the last sentence in a mouse-like voice. She really was scared out of her mind to the point of being nauseous.

Suga opened his mouth to say something when he was interrupted by somebody behind him.

"Maaah, Suga, I think they got it now"

Both first years recognised the voice of their saviour on the spot. They peered with great difficulty over Suga's shoulders at Daichi who was smiling their way in amusement.

The captain took a few steps forward to stand beside his best friend and gazed at the first year pair with an unreadable expression.

He then unexpectedly smirked wickedly. "Or I will make sure to _personally_ drill it into their heads."

Hinata and Kageyama both visibly froze and gulped at the threat.

Rectification: Daichi was not their saviour but reinforcement on Suga's part.

"Ah, before I forget, Hinata - " said girl blinked curiously at the dark haired captain, "- sensei apologised he couldn't come early but he said to wait after practice." Daichi informed, still smirking in the remains of his amusement.

Suga then released his hold on the two younger teens but threw them a menacing smile, making them shudder in apprehension.

"Hai, Daichi-san" Hinata replied cautiously. Her senpais sure were fearsome when they wanted to be. She tried to take inconspicuous steps backwards - only to bump into someone.

The ginger head jumped and quickly turned to apologized but faltered when she realised it was Shimizu-senpai. She was always in awe of the older girl when she saw her. She was so beautiful.

Shimizu turned to look at the ginger head girl then smiled sweetly at her. Hinata could feel her ears becoming hot with part embarrassment and part admiration. How she wished she was as beautiful as the royal blue haired third year.

The latter then looked at Daichi with a neutral expression. "Daichi-san, I would like to talk to you about a few matters." she voiced then turned her gaze to Suga as if insinuating she wanted to talk to him about it too.

The captain nodded at her request but looked pointedly at Kageyama and Hinata's direction.

"Get back to work you two." he ordered while putting his hands on his hips.

"And make sure I don't catch you bickering again." Suga added with eyes closed and a big smile plastered on his face.

The first year duo cringed and bowed respectfully before running off as fast as they could.

They went to a corner by the door and when they felt that they were far enough from their senpais to be safe, they simultaneously let out a deep sigh of relief.

Hinata was the first to speak after a few minutes of silence which they used to compose themselves again. "That was horrible. I thought I was going to die! I don't want to go through that again."

"Agreed." Kageyama begrudgingly acquiesced. He then straightened and put his right hand on his hip and glanced around the area they were. They had the wall behind them and to their left, about 10 meters away, he could see Tsukishima and Yamaguchi taking a water break. He noted the tall blonde fleetingly glance their way before resuming drinking from his bottle.

The dark haired setter tsked then sighed once more. He had to at least try to get along with the shortie beside him. He wasn't sure how to tackle it but he certainly didn't want a replay of earlier.

"So, uh," he started awkwardly, choosing to scratch his nose instead of fidgeting, "umm..." he forced his brain to dig up something worthwhile to say.

Hinata gazed at him curiously, cocking her head to the side and blinking her honey coloured eyes cutely at him. The urge to fidget under her stare started to get more urgent but he cleared his throat and swapped the hand on his hip with the other to distract him.

"Err... you... have... Daichi's number, right?" he blurted lamely. To his defence, it was the sole thing which came up to his mind which didn't involve any insults or acts of violence.

"Yes, he gave it to me on the first day." she answered him, still puzzled with his reaction.

Kageyama gritted his teeth tightly to stop himself from yelling at her to quit looking so stupidly confused. "So, umm... could you give it to me and," he paused, thinking of how to continue.

At this point, Hinata realised what he was getting at and smiled softly at him. He was trying to get on good terms with her and saying the first thing which crossed his mind to break the ice between them. She was right. He really was a big softie despite all that rough exterior.

Kageyama had to take a deep breath to steel himself to say what he was going to say next, "and... yours too... please?" he finished. All the while, he had his head turned to the side so he completely missed the girl beside him giggle soundlessly while he was struggling with his words.

However, he snapped his head back to her when he realised how his words really sounded like. "But don't get the wrong idea! I don't want your number -" he suddenly stopped when he caught the ginger head bending forward, clutching her stomach with one arm and covering her mouth with her other hand while her body was trembling all over.

She couldn't take it anymore. Keeping her laugher in hurt too much and so she let it loose.

She laughed out loud. She laughed so much that tears were prickling at the corners of her eyes and her stomach was cramping so badly but she couldn't stop herself from laughing harder.

Kageyama, on his part, was speechless. He didn't know how to react to that. He didn't know what was so funny in what he said but he didn't complain. The sight before him was one which he had never seen before. He rarely ever saw Hinata regard him with anything other than a frown - and maybe, sometimes, a smile here or there because it was in her personality to smile - but he couldn't deny that what he was seeing - he admited with a faint blush - was refreshing.

"I-I'm s-so-sorry," she small redhead gasped in-between laughs then breathed in deeply to calm herself, "I don't know what overcame me." she finished, pursing her lips tightly together keep in a fit of giggles which threatened to escape. Her cheeks were flushed a bright rosy colour from her outburst. She raised a hand to wipe at the corners of her eyes while clearing her throat to test her speech.

Kageyama was still stunned in place. He honestly didn't know how he should react now and he wasn't sure if he wanted to ask what it is that she found so funny.

In the end, he decided to look away and caught the eye of a nosy, tall, middle blocker who was looking their way. The blonde had a very amused and knowing expression on his face which did nothing but infuriate him. The setter felt his right eyebrow tick when the spectacle-wearing teen raised a hand to his mouth, after a second of staring, then turned to whisper something in the ear of an also on looking Yamaguchi.

He also noticed that it was not just his fellow first year teammates who were looking at them now but everyone else in the gym.

Of course, only an idiot like Hinata would laugh so loudly in the middle of training. He groaned at the undesired attention.

"Oi, Idiot. Let's get back to work now." he called, glancing her way. Her cheeks were still a bit red in colour and she had on a very pleased grin.

"What?" he snapped.

"Nothing." she smiled at him cheerfully. He could feel his brow ticking in aggravation and it only made him even more irritated.

He grumbled under his breath but said nothing. He, instead, made his way to their bags and she followed him. He crouched down before his bag and rummaged around and out of the corner of his eye, he saw her doing the same. When he found his phone, he wordlessly handed it to her and he watched in feigned disinteresting as she entered the numbers.

When she was done, she handed it back to him and slipped her own phone back in her bag.

"I took the liberty to take your number too. Hope you don't mind." she carelessly said to him and he brushed her off with a wave of his hand.

"Back to work now." he repeated his earlier statement.

They made their way back to their previous spot by the door and Kageyama took a volleyball from a volleyball trolley on the way.

Once there, the setter turned to face his ginger head partner.

"Okay, we'll start by reviewing your receives." he told her.

As he watched her get into a slight crouched position, a thought occurred to him. He considered it for a moment and debated whether to tell her or not.

When she looked at him expectantly and internally wondered why he was taking so long, he finally conceded.

"Hey," he started slowly while he repeated his next sentence several times in his head until he could phrase it in a way he was satisfied with, "if you do well, I might consider tossing to you for a spike." he finished flatly.

He wasn't even surprised when her eyes lit up like a candle and her lips pulled into an enormous grin. He knew she would be thrilled to hear that. That much was predictable.

What was not predictable though, was when he tossed the volleyball to her and she bounced it right back at his disbelieving form. Sure, it was a bit short and therefore, he had to take a step forward to catch it but it was the fact that she bounced it back straight at him - on the very first try might he add - that left him completely speechless.

The girl in front of him didn't miss how flabbergasted and slack-jawed he was. "Impressed?" she taunted with a teasing smirk.

That made him snap out of his stupor. "Shut up! One more!" he yelled, throwing the same volleyball back at her and she bumped it with a nice forearm pass, squarely back at him - only just a bit too high this time but never mind that. The fact was this: she could finally pass decently!

He grumbled under his breath once again. Great. Now he had to toss to her for spikes. Just great. He was so not looking forward to it. Just when did she learn how to aim properly? Just two days ago he wanted to rip her head off for aiming at anything but him.

She openly laughed at his face as if she could hear his thoughts. "I have Daichi-san and Suga-san to thank for that. They had a lot of patience with me and even stayed behind after practice hours." She explained and grinned at the faint "oh" she heard from the tall teen in front of her.

Now that Kageyama thought about it, he realised that yes, he did see both the captain and vice-captain lingering back when practice was over. He also dully recalled the absence of an annoying loudmouth ginger head bugging him on the way the school gates. Now it made sense. He just never gave it any heed to make the link.

"So, shall we proceed to spikes now?" she beamed at him enthusiastically, eyes shining in anticipation. He could see she could barely stay in place now. She was practically jumping from one foot to another in eagerness.

"Not yet," he deadpanned, killing her mood altogether, "one more. Your stance wasn't perfect. Open and bend your legs more this time."

He instantly heard a distinct snicker coming from his left and he snapped his head in that direction only to see Tsukishima silently laughing at him and mockingly covering his mouth with his hand. Kageyama immediately realised his mistake.

"It's not like that, you bastard!" he bristled. Despite his words, he felt his ears turning hot at the implication. He was about to trample his way to the frustrating blonde to suffocate him when the door to the gymnasium was brutally slammed open.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!"

The loud howl of anger reverberated all around the gym and bounced off the walls to amplify the volume even more.

Everyone stopped dead in their tracks and whipped their gazes to the door where an overweight man clad in a black suit was gripping the door in a death grip and exhaling in angry puffs.

Behind him, a tiny man hurriedly caught up and tried to placate the furious dean but the latter glared the other into silence.

The dean took a step inside and scanned the place till he found who he was searching for. His steps were heavy as he marched forward towards that person.

"Captain!" he bellowed, making everyone but the concerned person flinch. "Explain what the hell is _she_ doing here!" the fat man angrily pointed his index finger at the trembling girl by the door.

"That's what I was trying to tell you, Ozuma-san, there was nothing in the rules which said - "

"Takeda-sensei," the dean interrupted, barking to the shorter man in his wrath, "I don't care what the damn rules say. This is the boys' team! We can't have a _girl_ on Karasuno's boys' team! We will be laughed at by everyone! Can you imagine a team with a tiny punk like her going to the nationals? That's ridiculous! _Unacceptable_! Think of the school's reputation!"

' _On the contrary, we will be praised for not being sexist_.' Takeda-sensei thought but refrained from telling that to the fuming dean in front of him. The dean was his superior after all, he could well put his job on the line. The short sensei then decided to pacify the other man using another method.

"What if she is the key to take us to the nationals then?" he countered, crossing his fingers that the elder man will take the bait. "After all, Karasuno has been out of the elite league for quite some years now. I did my research and," sensei paused, wracking his memory for the piece of information he had read some time ago, "and, the last time Karasuno had been at its prime had been the time when the Little Giant had been on the team."

The large dean faltered momentarily.

 _Little Giant_. That name was familiar. Where had he heard that?

Black, beady eyes moved to rest on the orange haired girl who was cowering behind the taller female manager of the team. The rest of boys took advantage of the temporary calm to get closer and formed a loose semi-circle around the adults present there.

"I believe Hinata-chan is the breath of fresh air this team needs." Takeda-sensei added after a moment.

Daichi then deemed it the right time to intervene.

"Hai, Ozuma-san. Hinata shows a lot of potential. I am sure she will be a great asset to the team."

Tsukishima scoffed at that but Yamaguchi was quick to elbow him in the side, making the taller teen wince in pain.

Ozuma stared unblinkingly at the tiny female in thought then, without warning, his eyes squeezed to a pointed glare.

"You." He called coldly while making his way to the girl. He stopped just in front of her.

"You said you wanted to become the next Little Giant, right?"

It was more of a statement than a question.

Hinata gulped.

"Ye-yes, Sir." She replied timidly. "It is my goal."

The dean then lifted his nose high up in the air after the declaration.

"Prove it."

"Eh?" Hinata was taken aback. Was he challenging her?

The dark haired man glowered.

"Prove that you are worth to stay in this club." He elaborated.

The ginger head gaped. Prove her worth? How was she going to do that?

Ozuma must have known what she was thinking about. He pointed to her and said in an authoritative voice, "I want you to have a match against your teammates. If you win, you win your place in the club. However, if you lose…" he paused for more dramatic effect and squinted his eyes even more at her, "… if you lose, you must immediately stop volleyball. You won't even be allowed to join the female club instead."

" _What_?" everyone protested. It was too harsh of a punishment.

Tanaka looked like he was about to punch the living daylights out of the fat man in front of him and he was going to if he wasn't being held back by an equally furious looking Suga and Ennoshita. Daichi was gritting his teeth so hard that he heard his jaw pop. The other two second years were both torn between joining Tanaka in his attacking attempt or staying put. Tsukishima, for his part, was looking predictively emotionless while Yamaguchi was wringing his hands together, not quite sure how he should react.

On the other hand, Kageyama was absolutely livid. Getting kicked off the club was one thing but being prohibited from playing volleyball altogether? Just because that dumbass Hinata was stupid enough to insist playing on the boys' team rather than the girls' team? That was unacceptable. His fists were clenched tightly by his side. He was ready to interfere in the conversation; consequences be damned.

However, he was beat to it by Karasuno's beautiful manager.

"How do you expect Hinata-chan to win against a whole team?" she quipped, her usually soothing voice cold as ice.

Shimizu Kiyoko was habitually a kind and gentle soul but what many didn't know about her was that she could be ruthless as well – specially to those who hurt her beloved people.

"Do you expect her to prove her worth by winning alone? Volleyball is a sport played with six people on the court." She glared mercilessly at the dean. Behind her, Hinata was awestruck. She really admired her other girl's courage and she also felt very warm knowing that others were willing to stand up for her.

The black haired dean looked even more irritated. He hadn't expected so much opposition.

"Fine. Then she will be in a team of three. It will be three versus three." He spat and frowned at each one of them.

"However, I will decide the teams." Ozuma spoke up again before anyone else could. "She will be with…" he trailed, gazing critically at all the faces present, "… you," he pointed to Kageyama, "and you." He finished, moving his index to Tanaka next.

These two looked like they fiercely wanted to defend that shrimp so he will be very entertained to see them try.

"And I want them to be opposed by their captain, the team's ace and…" he had to stop to think about the correct term but it was pointless. He never had an interest in volleyball anyway. "And… the guy in the middle."

Everyone had to pause and think what he meant by that.

Only Takeda-sensei, who was used to cryptic messages from this years of experience in teaching, seemed to be first one to catch on. "Do you mean the setter?" he asked.

"Yes, yes, the setter, as you said." The fat man replied begrudgingly.

Tsukishima had to smother in a laugh behind his hand. ' _The guy in the middle_.' He repeated in his head, amused beyond measure. How dumb could that dean be.

Hinata then unexpectedly walked forward from behind her female counterpart, still shaking a bit but looking determined to accept the challenge and earn her rightful place in the team.

"I accept. When do you want the match to be held?" she asked, voice strong.

Ozuma smirked at her haughtily. "I will be merciful this time. I give you a week to train. The match will be held on Friday, next week, at this same hour."

Having nothing left to do here, the overweight man turned to leave but paused at the doorway as an afterthought occurred to him.

"Oh, and," he turned his head sharply to look everyone in the eyes, "anyone who holds back will be expelled from the club. I mean it." With a last glare, the fat man disappeared out the door.

The pressure inside immediately dropped. Everyone let out a breath they hadn't even realised they had been holding.

It was awkward. No one knew what to say next and no one dared to move.

It was silent inside the gym for a good few minutes.

Takeda-sensei then decided it was his responsibility to explain things.

"I am sorry," he began, unconsciously rubbing his neck in his discomfort, "I tried to convince Ozuma-san but he wouldn't hear anything."

He looked up from the floor when he felt a hand touch his arm. It was Hinata.

"It's okay sensei, you tried your best. Besides," she smiled at him proudly, "I need to be strong to be the next Little Giant! It is time I show everyone what I can do!"

Everyone chorused their agreement and Takeda-sensei reluctantly smiled back. Hinata truly was passionate about volleyball.

Daichi then remembered something. "Oh, by the way, sensei, what is it that you wanted to discuss?"

The short sensei nodded at the question. "Ah, yes. I wanted to tell you that after reading the regulation booklet, there was no rules stating a girl couldn't play on the court. I think they omitted it because they assumed everyone would know none was allowed because it is called the boys' tournament," he explained to the attentive faces around him, "but if anyone says anything about Hinata, we have a loophole to get away." – _until they decide to add a written rule against mixed teams, that is_ – he quietly added in his head but didn't voice it.

The teens all seemed to ponder on this.

"And I also wanted to tell you that I will definitely find a proper coach for you," sensei added resolutely with a nod, "plus, I will try to ask other schools to have practice matches with us."

The whole of Karasuno beamed and rejoiced at that fact. They hadn't had a proper coach for a while now and they certainly needed on if they wanted to improve and nothing beat a good match to help them situate their current power.

"Umm." A soft voice spoke.

All eyes turned to look at Hinata who tried not to fidget too much under all those stares. She could feel her cheeks going hot and she looked down in embarrassment. She unconsciously started rubbing her left elbow with her right hand to ease some of the restlessness.

"I-I wanted to thank you all for standing up for me and accepting me." She squeaked in a small voice and bit the inside of her bottom lip in uneasiness. "And I am also sorry for all those complications."

When she looked up, she was surprised to see all the guys staring at her with wide, dazed eyes. Then, when they realised the ginger head was looking at them with worry in her honey coloured eyes, they snapped back to reality and awkwardly moved a bit, just to distract themselves.

Kiyoko quietly began to giggle behind her hand. Hinata was just too cute for the boys to handle sometimes.

Tanaka was the first to collect himself. He flashed the girl a bright grin before he leaped at her for a headlock. He began ruffling her orange hair while laughing all the while.

"It is only natural! Don't thank us, Hinata! You are one of us and will forever stay one of us, whatever happens!" he boisterously laughed and she joined in too.

Suga suddenly jumped on the merry pair, pulling Daichi and an unwilling Tsukishima along by the arm.

"Group hug!" he yelled and instantly, everyone else laughed and jumped in.

' _Yes, I will prove I am one of them_.' Hinata thought determinedly in-between laughs.

* * *

 **A/N** :

Hi! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I took the liberty to name the dean. I tried to look up his name but couldn't find any. If anyone knows how he is called, please let me know. Thanks in advance!

Do think the story is moving a bit too slowly? I personally don't like to rush things but I would like to know your opinion.

As usual, please leave a review to let me know what you thought. :)

By the way, there's a poll on my profile page. Please leave an answer if you have the time. :)

Thanks! See you next chapter.


	4. Horizon

.

 **Soaring Raven**

 **Chapter 4: Horizon**

 **Author's Note : ****_Constructive criticism is always welcome and appreciated!_**

* * *

It was stressing.

It was distressing.

It was nerve-wracking.

Her insides felt like they were coiling impossibly tight then suddenly uncoiling so violently that the backlash created a painful and nauseous squeeze to her stomach.

She couldn't take so much pressure.

"Mayuri-saaaaaaaaaan," Hinata drawled, turning on her back to look at the old woman from her upside down position on the latter's couch.

Her feet were dangling off the headrest of the slightly worn out leather furniture while her back was pressed firmly on the seat. She stretched out further to let her arms touch the floor. The movement caused her to slip dangerously close to the floor but she didn't care.

Mayuri looked up from the cup of tea she was preparing a short distance away and giggled at the sight of her young neighbour sprawled out upside down like a bear hide on her couch. She looked absolutely defeated.

It was Saturday afternoon and Hinata had come knocking on the lady's door first thing in the morning as promised the other day. Mayuri had immediately detected something was off with the young girl as soon as she saw the massive dark bags and bloodshot eyes.

When she had enquired about it, the girl had instantly prattled on about what had happened the previous day and how she had stayed up all night running all sort of different scenarios in her mind. The blonde had felt her heart squeeze painfully and had ushered her in instantly.

She remembered asking if Hinata had eaten and she had received her answer in the form of sheepish laugh. Mayuri had prepared a generous breakfast for her young friend and had herded her to bed immediately afterwards.

Hinata was out like a candle as soon as her head hit the pillow – lulled to sleep by fatigue and a pleasantly full stomach.

Several hours later, there they were now. Hinata had woken up, still tormented about her ordeal and had claimed the maroon leather couch as solace.

The old lady made her way towards the girl and sat on the sofa next to hers before bending slightly to place a large slice of apple pie on the coffee table in front of them.

"Shou-chan, I am sure everything will go well. Cheer up." She offered a kind smile to the ginger head.

"But Mayuri-san!" Hinata whined again and watched as her long orange tresses slipped off the seat to dangle to the floor. "I can't control my passes perfectly yet and I miss 50 percent of serve reception and don't even ask about my own serves - I am just horrible at it," she pouted, "and I haven't even tried to spike yet."

The young girl let out a loud sigh and brought her hands up to cover her face.

"This is hopeless!" she lamented dramatically and threw her arms up to the floor again.

The blonde stayed silent, only occasionally taking a sip from her mug of tea. She pondered on the matter for a few minutes, all the while watching Hinata pout her way miserably.

She laughed at her.

"Aren't you missing something, Shou-chan?" she asked the girl then took a sip off her mug while gently crinkling her eyes at her.

"What?" The redhead pouted even more.

The old woman smiled then reached forward to place her mug beside the white plate on her coffee table.

"Your apple pie." Mayuri-san replied with a small chuckle. She watched with great amusement as the short girl blinked up at her in confusion then quickly directed her gaze to the top of the coffee table. Her eyes widened and she instantly flipped herself upright again.

Sweeping the plate off the table in a lightning fast movement, she took a huge bite off the pie and moaned, relishing in the heavenly taste of the sweet treat.

"Mmmm, this is soooooo good, Mayuri-san! You should have opened a bakery, really!" the girl exclaimed before taking another huge bite off the treat and munched happily with an expression of sheer delight on her face.

The woman beside her giggled at her reaction. "Why, thank you, Shou-chan," she smiled happily, "I did run a bakery when I was young."

Hinata hastily swallowed before replying, "Wah! Really? Business must have been really great!"

The blonde hummed and leaned back on the sofa, recalling the memories of her youth. The smile on her face was the softest Hinata had ever seen on her neighbour.

"Yes, the bakery was on the ground floor of my own house. It was my parents' business and we did have a lot of loyal clients," she paused and the ginger head could see Mayuri was starting to drift in her memories, "and it was where I met my husband." she giggled at the memory. "He was such a handsome and dedicated young man. I was 17 at the time and he made it his personal duty to always buy something when I was at the counter." She finished, a tender expression gracing her slightly wrinkled visage.

Hinata smiled at the woman. She was honestly glad and relieved her friend's past was a happy one. She was such a kind and caring woman. If anyone ever deserved to have a prosperous life, it was her.

"I can totally understand! If it were me, I would have had done the same if it meant I would have had a chance to marry you, Mayuri-san!" she grinned.

"Oh, Shou-chan!" the old lady laughed and Hinata joined in merrily.

They both calmed down after a short while. Then, the blonde turned to face the younger girl seriously. "Shou-chan, I love you so much. You are like the granddaughter I never had. I honestly consider you like my own." Mayuri smiled kindly to her and Hinata suddenly felt her throat constrict. Her mind went blank for a moment but she was snapped out of it when she felt the corners of her eyes start to sting. She forced herself to swallow and blink away the stinging.

The old lady reached over and took a hold of the girl's small hands in her larger, wrinkled ones.

"I am sure if Hayato, my husband, was here still, he would have felt the same," Mayuri gave her hands a gentle squeeze before continuing, "so, please, Shou-chan, if you ever feel like you need someone to talk to - like now - or if you ever need a place to stay, know that I will always be here for you and that my house is always open for you."

The beautiful blonde offered her a trusting smile. Her caramel eyes searched the honey coloured ones of her young guest and held it.

Hinata could see genuine concern and kindness in those eyes. Something warm and jittery was beginning to swirl in her chest. Mayuri-san really did care for her. She bit her lip and looked down but she felt her hands being squeezed again, prompting her to look up again. Caramel locked with honey and this time, she could physically feel the affection in those eyes. She unconsciously revelled in the rare attention.

Unlike many people, Hinata didn't have the chance to know and spend time with her grandparents. Hers were already gone when she was born. However, after so much time spent with Mayuri, she had grown to care and cherish her like her own grandmother and she was truly glad the elder woman beside her felt the same towards her.

Hinata was aware of her situation. She was embarrassed and a little ashamed to admit it was actually what she needed most at the moment.

She needed family.

Hinata blinked furiously and took a deep breath to stop her tears. She wanted to reply her, to thank her and tell her that she cared as much for the elder woman and to tell her that she would always be there for her too but she feared her voice would crack if she spoke now. It wouldn't do to cry in front of her friend. She didn't want her to worry.

She didn't want to look _broken_.

Fortunately, the blonde didn't seem to notice Hinata's mood change or if she did, she didn't let on.

"But back to the subject at hand, Shou-chan. Don't you think you are missing something?" the woman asked her earnestly.

She got up from her sofa, still holding the girl's hands in hers and sat down next to Hinata on the couch.

The redhead stared at her and thought hard.

Was she missing something?

Absolutely.

What was it she was missing?

Actually, she was missing a lot of things.

She was missing height, she was missing talent, she was missing skills, she was missing power, she was missing intellect to strategize cunning plays and above all, she was missing the appropriate body part to be allowed on the team without any drama.

The redhead suddenly felt tired. Thinking about her own shortcomings was oddly draining.

She looked away from those piercing caramel eyes and let out a loud sigh.

"I don't know, Mayuri-san. I feel so weak. I said all those big talks about wanting to become the next Little Giant but in the end, I don't know if I can live up to it. Heck, I don't even know if I'll even be able to win my place in the team on Friday!"

She sighed again and threw her head back on the headrest. Her eyes searched the ceiling as if she would get her answers there. She idly noted that the white paint was starting to flake.

She suddenly felt arms wrapping around her still form and a hand gently coaxing her head to lie on a strong shoulder.

"I heard only ' _I_ 's' in everything you said." She heard the blonde whisper quietly next to her ear.

Hinata belatedly realised Mayuri had pulled her into a hug.

After a moment, she felt the woman chuckle fleetingly.

"You remind me of Ruru-chan sometimes, Shou-chan. He, too, takes too much under his responsibility."

The older woman released her hold on her to look her in the eyes. Those caramel eyes felt like they were directly looking into her soul. They held a strength and conviction so dense she suddenly felt her breath catch in her throat. They were so intense that she felt a shiver travel up her spine.

"Remember, volleyball's essence is team play. You are not alone in this, Shou-chan. Believe in yourself and believe in your teammates. Whenever and wherever you lack, your teammates will be there to back you up."

The elder blonde then broke eye contact and pulled her in for another hug. This time, she was petting her orange curls, long fingers warm and gentle against her scalp.

The action was tremendously soothing and the girl felt her friend lean her head against her own in an affectionate embrace.

"You are not alone, Shou-chan." Mayuri-san whispered in her ear and Hinata couldn't help but feel that the elder woman was addressing her words to something deeper than her current predicament.

* * *

Hinata let out a huge yawn on the way to school this early Monday morning. Kageyama and Tanaka had agreed to meet up at 6 a.m. at the school gym to get some extra practice in before classes start.

She had had to leave Mayuri's house at a little past 5 a.m. to be able to be on time. She was a bit sad to have left without saying goodbye to her host. When she had informed the blonde she had to leave for school early the night before, Mayuri had insisted that she had to wake the former up for her to cook a proper breakfast for the girl.

But she hadn't wanted to disturb the elder woman's sleep. She had cooked up a somewhat decent breakfast on her own and had also prepared some for her friend - which she had left on the kitchen table next to a note - then left quietly.

The redhead had to make a detour to her own house to drop off her clothes and have a quick shower.

The honey coloured eyed girl stifled in another yawn as she pedalled down the familiar rocky road. A glace to her watch indicated it was currently 5:22 a.m. It was still slightly dark outside as the sun was just beginning to peek out from the horizon. She had never gone out so early in the morning before. The early spring air was cool and crisp and she marvelled at sensation of having the cool tendrils of air playing with her hair. It was as if Mother Nature herself was running her hand through her locks.

Just as she was about to cross the long clearing bridging the outskirts of Miyagi to the more central parts, Hinata slowed down and turned her head to look on her left out of habit. She knew there was an open field with a river running in the middle and she never missed the chance to look at it each time she crossed this clearing. She really loved open sceneries.

The redhead's eyes widened. The sight was beautiful. The sun was just high enough to cast a faint sheen of light on the surface of the cold water. It was her first time seeing the river in this lighting. The sun was always already well up in the sky when she went to school every day. Right now, the water was sparkling – millions of little multi-coloured dots dancing across the surface like little diamonds. It was like someone has sprinkled fairy dust on the water. The river trickled down leisurely, no obstructions to block its path and Hinata wondered how she could have missed the gentle hum of running water in the background.

It felt ethereal.

In this instant, Hinata felt light, lighter than she had felt in a long time. It felt as if she was flying – with the way the wind was blowing on her person from pedalling and the myriad of colours being reflected off the surface of the water surrounding her; and also with the way the scenery was changing and rolling past her at such high speed. It was as if the river had this mysterious power of washing away her worries and carrying them away together with the twinkling powder.

It was a wonderful feeling and Hinata wondered when was the last time she had felt this free.

Suddenly, something else caught her attention.

It was a shadow – a shadow of a boy to be more precise. It had to be a boy or a man since he didn't have a feminine silhouette. The person was down below, on the river bank and had his back to her. The girl squinted her eyes to try to see him better since the sun was in front of him and she could only see his shadowy back from where she was. He had dark hair and was wearing a grey hoodie and black pants but what really drew her attention the most was the round object tucked under his arm. It was a volleyball.

The boy then suddenly threw the volleyball to the ground viciously and with such an angry force that she almost feared the ball would explode on contact with the earth. Hinata watched, startled, as the ball ricocheted off the ground violently and flew to the river below in an arc. She followed the ball with her eyes as it disappeared underwater with a faint ' _plop_ ' and resurfaced a second later. She continued to watch as the ball was innocently carried away in the current while the man stayed frozen on the spot and did nothing to retrieve it. He didn't even spare the ball a glance.

The man then suddenly looked up and turned. He was halfway through his spin and Hinata could now begin to make out his profile – when her view was unexpectedly blocked by a wall.

The girl was caught off guard and gazed around in astonishment and saw buildings and houses had replaced the green plains she so loved.

She had reached the residential area.

She looked back over her shoulder to the river regretfully. She was curious to know who this person was – to know who could be so angry so early in the morning but she couldn't turn back now or else she would risk being late for practice. Kageyama would rip her head off for real this time if she was. She had learned the hard way that the setter was particularly aggressive and grumpy in the morning.

After throwing a last glance back, she sped up and continued down the path.

* * *

The only sound in the gym was the squeaking of shoes on a perfectly polished court.

Sweat was dripping down their foreheads and Tanaka motioned for his two kouhais that it was time for a water break.

The two juniors gratefully nodded to their senpai and walked tiredly to the benches.

Despite the weather being rather cool outside since it was still early spring, the gymnasium was starting to feel like a mini oven to the three volleyball players. Combining that with lack of sleep and stress, it wasn't a desirable mix to have first thing in the morning. Their hair were matted to their foreheads uncomfortably and their sports shirts felt damper than usual. Hinata had pulled her long wavy tresses from a ponytail to a tight bun on top of her head in an attempt to feel more comfortable.

Tanaka handed them both their water bottles before taking a swig out of his own.

"Kageyama, I think it's as good a time as any to try spikes now. Hinata got the gist of receiving and passing. We need to up our attacking power. Daichi isn't very easy to get past. Besides, we aren't facing just anyone. Our opponents are all third years and they have exceptional coordination. Ah but – " Tanaka broke off suddenly.

The two first years looked at him in confusion. "But?" Hinata prompted, blinking up at him expectantly. Tanaka looked like he was debating on something but shook his head in the end. "Nevermind. It's not relevant to our current situation. But back to spikes…?"

Kageyama inclined his head while casting a fleeting glance Hinata's way who seemed to have perked up at the mention of spikes. "Aa. But I think practicing serves is a more pressing matter. For attacks, you and I can both spike and for defence, we both can cover for Hinata if need be but she will eventually find herself alone behind the service line with no one there to help."

"What! Kageyama you said you'd toss to me!" The girl cried.

Kageyama felt a vein throb on his temple. If he died from an aneurysm one day, it would all be that damn girl's fault.

"Shut up! Don't forget we are doing this for you not to get your ass kicked out of here! Where we stand, _every single point_ counts! If you wanna deliver free points to the other side like freaking Santa by flunking serves then be my guest!"

Tanaka winced at the harsh tone. "Kageyama kinda has a point here. Besides, we have yet to work on blocks. It doesn't matter if we don't score right off the bat. If we can keep the ball in the air long enough, we'll eventually score."

Hinata felt a burst of indignation spread through her but it left just as quickly as it came. Kageyama was right. She _was_ useless at serves. She heaved a heavy sigh. "Alright, your Highness, you win." Kageyama visibly stiffened at the comment but neither Tanaka nor Hinata noticed. They both had their backs to him and busy stuffing their belongings in their sports bags.

"Let's go change quickly. Homeroom will start soon."

* * *

 **Author's Note** : I am so so _so_ sorry for the late update. Fact is, I am just too busy with school and life in general. **BUT!** Have no fear! I will definitely complete this story (even if it takes me 10 years to do so. No, I'm joking, maybe about 2 years? Ahahaha...*laughs nervously*). No really, I'll work on it. I'm getting a huge break end of November. But huge break, I mean I'll have several months off. I'll try to dish out as many chapters as possible then. So this story will be on a hiatus till end of November. I released chapter 4 now because I had it saved since last year. Actually, it's not even complete. It was supposed to be longer but meh, I think you waited long enough ahaha. I hope it is decent enough though. I will be proof reading and making corrections on the previous 3 chapters too when I pick up the pen again because I saw some mistakes while re-reading them. And is it just me or did my writing change? Chapter 4 feels different somehow ahahaha. _I'm sorry if it seems half-assed please forgive me i'll work on my writing i promise._

 ** _Thank you all for your kind support and for following Soaring Raven! A special shout out to_** Arxhaelogist **_for_ _their precious reviews and pointers. I really appreciate your help._**

 ** _Constructive criticism is always welcome and appreciated!_**


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